4 Tips to Help You Read More
Happy 2020 y’all! I know a lot of us have set some goals or resolutions we want to achieve this year and I figured that one of them might be to read more. I mean, it is a pretty popular one that people decide on in January but has fizzled out by February. Last year I joined the library in June and by the end of the year I had read 38 books as a result. I read that many books in only half a year, so I am looking to increase that number to 45 in 2020. I am putting this number out here to hold myself accountable!
I went a long time without reading for pleasure. When I was younger, I read constantly. Once I got into college and grad school, I was reading material that interested me, but it was basically all academic. Following the 4 simple steps below dramatically changed how much, how often, and what I was reading. I hope that sharing these tips will help you fall in love with reading for the first time, get you back into the swing of reading, but ultimately assist in any reading goals you have for yourself. And of course, if you need any recommendations on what to read you know I have your back!
JOIN THE LIBRARY
What an incredible idea, right? But seriously – join your local library. It is FREE. One new book cost around €20. If your goal is to read 20 books in 2020 you could be looking at spending around €400 if you were to buy all of them! Guess how much it costs to read 20 books at the library? NOTHING (well, your taxes help but you get the point). Libraries offer so much more than books – they have audiobooks, movies, shows, magazines, I think you get where I am going with this.
MAKE A GOODREADS ACCOUNT
Before I made a Goodreads account (let’s be friends!), I was all over the place when it came to keeping track of books I wanted to read. My camera roll was full of random screenshots of books that ended up lost in the insane number of photos I keep. I would also write books down on random sticky notes and stick them into my planner to rarely be seen again. Having an organized, running list of books I know I want to read on my Goodreads account has made all the difference!
CHALLENGE YOURSELF
When I was growing up in Florida there was a ‘Sunshine State Standard’ that each student read a minimum of 25 books each year – a challenge I always exceeded at! Once I got my library card in June, I decided to challenge myself to this old standard from school and read 25 books by the end of December. I was a bit nervous because that meant I only had about 6 months, not a complete year, to achieve my goal but guess what? I did it! I read 38 books. Goodreads features a Reading Challenge where you can put the number of how many books you want to read and watch yourself achieve that goal! Having that visibility really motivates me to keep going.
READ WHAT YOU LIKE
Pretty simple but if you read what you want and what you like you’ll read more! I used to only read non-fiction, but I have recently gotten into fiction too! I have discovered a particularly soft spot for chick-lit. Read what you enjoy, and I can guarantee you will be reading more in no time.
Happy reading y’all!
Author’s Note: This post was originally published on my old blog in January 2020.
*all images original to Alexandra Furbee